I couldn't be happier for you. You've found a friend. Not that theres anything wrong with that but I am waiting to hear more of the lowdown about San Miguel de Allende? Is that all we are getting?:eek1

I couldn't be happier for you. You've found a friend. Not that theres anything wrong with that but I am waiting to hear more of the lowdown about San Miguel de Allende? Is that all we are getting?:eek1

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Yah, I knew you'd be excited. Unfortunately, I left out the last line of that post. I have about 400 pictures and a bit of video of Guanajuato and I will do a few "theme-based" posts and try to keep them brief. Lot to see there - great place!

San Miguel de Allende . . . a lot of people really like this town as evidenced by the number of non-Mexicans living there. It is quite nice but, I guess it was one of those places I had built my expectations way up beyond reality. While it has a rich history, it felt more like going to Puerto Vallarta or Cabo San Lucas - great places but a bit touristy for me.

As with many if not most cities in the interior, they appeared on the map as a result of rich deposits of silver and other metals. Guanajuato was no different. Its kind of cramped into this valley and was originally built with a river running through it. As it grew, they built a tunnel under the city to contain the river but I suspect it didnt work that well keeping folks dry because they eventually just diverted the river.

Now, there wasnt water flowing regularly but people had built their toilets over the channel and it got a little, shall we say, stinky. You can see the type of structure they would have had  these may well have contained teh original toilets.

So, somewhere along the line they decided to create a big annual City Fiesta on July 2 when they would release a bunch of water from this dam which would "flush" the old river bed, making everything fresh as a daisy.

Being they were a bunch of underground tunnel building miner types anyhow, they dug a few more tunnels for drainage, etc and eventually when technology improved that they didnt need those tunnels for that purpose anymore, decided to use them for transportation. That was so successful; they continued digging tunnels to the system in place today. Once they could convince people to stop crapping in the river, they could turn that into a road also. But, always ones for a good Fiesta, the Guanajuatoians continue the July 2nd tradition today and still release a bunch of water down the street.

The tunnels are a very slick (cool) system that moves traffic out of the narrow streets of the downtown.

One of the tunnel openings with a hotel built over it

A video riding back to my hotel. This shortcut saved about 10 minutes or so by not having to go through the congested downtown. These videos are a huge pain in the ass to produce but Ill try to do some more video of in towns later.

Of course, the video I really wanted of me following Gerardo through the downtown streets and alleys didnt happen because the idiot video camera operator didnt start the camera properly. Im going to have to fire that useless bastard.

Here is a pic of the main drag at its widest part  it actually has two lanes here. The only thing missing from the picture are the endless buses.

Whether it wanted to or not, not too many years after that famous Italian explorer (Christoforo Colombo or, as the Spanish liked to call him Cristóbol Colón) showed up on the shores of an island not too far away, Mexico became an important part of the Spanish empire supplying among other things, huge quantities of silver and gold.

After almost 300 years, the Spanish became more demanding and sent a new head honcho over to try and extract a bit more from the country by imposing new and higher taxes. He also clipped the wings of the church who owned huge assets including loans given on the never never plan to help start farms and businesses. The government took these loans over and started to demand they be paid back and thus was born the first government inflicted loan crisis.

This all set the Mexican natives and those of Spanish background but born in Mexico into a tizzy and like other countries at the time subjected to European dominance, they wanted out. Long storey short, Father Hildago and Ignacio Allende put together a plan to revolt. They figured that with Napoleon invading Spain, maybe they could sneak under the radar and pull off the revolt before the Spanish figured out what was going on.

However, they had a Benedict Arnold in their midst who gave up the plans to the Spaniards and forced them to start the revolt before they were ready. While they had some early successes, Hildago and Allende werent very good at playing hide n seek as kids and were quickly captured and executed. The war raged on for another 11 years before Mexico was victorious and finally tossed out the Spanish.

One of the battles was in Guanajuato at the Alhóndiga where natives armed with stones, slings and machetes were fighting a well-armed bunch of Spanish hiding there. This mural depicts the hero carrying a flat stones on his back to protect him from the Spanish bullets so he could burn down one of the doors. Pretty clever

Here is tourist trying to smile standing in front of the Alhóndiga

When Father Hildago, Allende and a couple of other players were captured and executed, their noggins were placed in these kind of bird cage enclosures and each hung from one corner of the Alhóndiga

Given it was a day to celebrate dead people, students from the local University were doing a lot of artwork around town. A couple of the pics they drew on the floor inside the Alhóndiga were of Hildago and Allende in their birdcages.

They even had a metal detector at the entrance to the Alhóndiga. I'm standing there with my camera and about 6 pounds of change in my pocket and the guard waves me through. Machine beeps, I stick my arms out and he turns to the next person. I guess their rules are that they have to have a metal detector . . . and when it beeps, the guard says to himself (in Spanish of course) yup, that guy has a bunch of metal on him. I thought it was hilarious after I realized I wouldn't get a cavity search for making the stupid machine beep. :huh

Visited a couple of the old mines. Not a lot to see as they were mostly underground. The original mines before a little technology was introduced had the natives squeezed into tight spaces, little shoring and digging by candle light. Here are a couple of painting depicting their techniques then. Pretty rough life.

Looking across the city at one of the early mines  the structure that looks like a fort

At the fort, here is the top of the shaft going down some 1700 feet. When you think about it, that is a long way down.

There were a series of these circular walls that were used to process the ore hauled out of the mine. Im suspecting they had some sort of donkey powered grinder where the donkeys walked in circles pulling on a big lever turning a grinding mechanism. Same as they grind down the heart of agave plants for Mezcal /Tequila.

Over at another mine which remained in production with the introduction of some 20<sup>th</sup> century technology  some of the turn of the century compressors

Some idiot playing miner (don't get a lot of pics of myself so have to seize the opportunity)

Great to see RexBuck rides again. Great pictures and videos. Thanks for posting up. Enjoying the ride along and the history lessons. Only drinking that one brand of beer. I drool over the food pictures.

Great to see RexBuck rides again. Great pictures and videos. Thanks for posting up. Enjoying the ride along and the history lessons. Only drinking that one brand of beer. I drool over the food pictures.

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Thanks for joining in again Sunday. And, thanks for the compliments.

As far as beer, I prefer the darker beers: Negro Modelo, Indio, Leon, etc but am quite satisfied with lighter beers. The odd time I've been known to have a bit of Mezcal or Tequila which also can be delightful. I try to avoid mixing them up to make things like Margaritas as I get kinda goofy with those things.

Hey Rex
Passed through those tunnels about a month ago. You describe them as "slick" as in neat, and that they are. They are also damded slick as in slippery if there is any water down there. Really enjoying your report. You are going the extra mile with an effective history lesson and good pics. Aren't we glad to not be in the Okanagan about now??? Ride Safely.

One of the unique celebrations in Mexico is Dia de los Muertos &#8211; basicly when the people honor their deceased relatives and friends. The flower business goes nuts with truckloads of flowers arriving for the family to decorate grave-sites and roadside memorials. Depending on the city they also turn the whole thing into a fiesta.

The celebration seems to start with Halloween with the kiddies dressing up in various costumes and going around to the stores and some of the street vendors for candies and goodies. Here are a few pics of the little darlings I was able to sneak walking down the street with flash off (blurriness),

The next night was a continuation of the first night. Except this time most of the kids were dressed in some sort of costume relating to death &#8211; ghosts, zombies, mummies, etc. Great gig for the kids though as they are out Trick or Treating again. !!!!

There were a ton of these murals constructed on the streets for many blocks. They are made with dyed sawdust and like ice sculptures we see in the winter, are soon gone.

Some of the art displayed around town

Frequently see memorials constructed on the roadside or inside public buildings memorializing groups of people

Then, some people really fit right in the mood of Día de los Muertos.

When I mentioned to Gerarado that I&#8217;d like to go to the Mummy Museum, he kind of gave me a funny look and asked if I wanted to walk there. Sure why not. He wasn&#8217;t real excited about going there and I thought he was just grossed out by that kind of stuff.

I&#8217;m thinking, here I am in a town with a Mummy Museum on the Day of the Dead &#8211; that is a must do . . . that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m thinkin. Well, I headed up (that being an important word here) the street where the signs to Museo Momias were pointing. I&#8217;m huffing & puffing and see a sign to the Museum with a picture of stairs next to it. Good idea . . . wrong! Those frickin stairs are steep and there are about 3 or 4 kazillion of them. The air was thinning and I was gasping.

Finally arrive at the top and find a cemetery. Close but not Mummies. However, that is one place to go for the celebrations as everybody is there to spend time at the gravesides of their loved ones.

Now, back to my quest for the Museum. Good chance it is nearby so asking around am directed to walk around the block to the back of the cemetary. Big line up. Wasn&#8217;t sure how my stomach would hold up but paid my admission (Even got my Seniors discount ) and headed in.

Warning! Dead people! :eek1 Here are a couple of pics I took inside, they are dead people so if you are squeamish about that, don't click on the links and carry on.Pic 1

Can't spend this much time on one city and not talk about food. Here is Gerardo ready to dig into his Chilies Rellenos while my Quesadillas await. This was at a restaraunt about 12 km out of town and was an outstanding meal. Note the bowl of peppers in the middle of the table? Hmmmm - they had to bring another bowl

Gerardo wanted to get into the Mezcal but I really didn't want to have to try to ride back on a twisty road and then through these narrow streets after "one" shot. So, Gerardo had them pack[FONT=&quot] up a frickin cup of it &#8211; kind of a to go thing. I was able to enjoy it that night. Apparently this Mezcal is only available at this restaurant but it was one of the finest Mezcals I have had the opportunity to enjoy . . . and that includes Tequilas which are a type of Mezcal. Good thing we didn't get into it at the restaurant as it would have been tough to stop at one . . .

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The ceiling in the restarant at my hotel - just thought it was cool

A scene you see frequently in Mexico. If you need any less than a couple of cement truck loads of concrete, just mix it on the street - saves having to clean out a wheelbarrow.

This is an alley that is so narrow, there is a kind of Romeo and Juliet story of a couple who lived across the alley from each other and they could lean over their balconies and make out. Has become a place for lovers to go smooch

They even have statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as part of a cultural festival held each year in honor of the author, Miguel de Cervantes (Rex is becoming a real camera whore )

Gerardo was kind enough to give me a shirt of his motorcycle club named after Don Quixote's horse Rocianante. Gracias amigo (thanks buddy)

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--> Gerardo stopped by at 9 to escort me out of town and send me off. Stopped in the next town along the way for the first Mexican smorg Ive seen. Frickin great  choose from a number of tortillas  I took two giant quesadillas and then wander around the table and help yourself to a bunch of different fillings. Outstanding!

Left Gerardo and headed south. Wanted to ride Hwy 15 east of Morilia but without going into Morillia  I always make it more difficult on myself when I'm trying to make it less difficult by avoiding a city or some cuotas.

So, the subtitle today is cuota hell! Firstly, got on a cuota I wasnt planning on  signs didnt make sense. Pull up to the booth and look up at the price board . . . $150p for cars and motos. Crap! A new federal law was passed last year that decreed that motos are supposed to be half price. Some States (who run the cuotas) have been slow enacting this and I have not seen any yet in my limited cuota travelling but have heard reports of some discounts occurring. Guy tells me its $107p . . . well, thats a little better than full price but whats wrong with HALF FRICKIN PRICE? Sorry, did I yell?

So off I go, pass a Federal Cop (oops!) who gives me a peace sign. Cross these incredibly long swamps and a shallow lake, make a wrong turn onto another Cuota, well I planned to be on this one but going the other way. Took me 16 km before I finally found a spot where some construction guys had built a dirt road to the other side across this fairly impassable ditch. Get turned around and find the road Im supposed to be on  cuota . . . no leaving - whiz right under the road I was supposed to turn on . . . I am on this forever . . . it seems like I'm going around and around never to leave cuotas again . . . my own form of hell!

Finally find an exit . . . onto another Cuota . . . couple more tolls, werent quite as bad. Could see the road I needed to get on to get to the road I wanted to ride  anyhow, after wandering around 2 towns and a hospital (parking lot  visiting day) finally found Hwy 15 I was looking for. Started off good then got really good then got wet then got foggy  still enjoyable but would like to do it again when it is dry and visibility is good.

Arrived in Zitacuaro and went looking for a hotel that was supposed to be decent. Wasnt on my GPS so was trying to use a Tripadvisor map . . . which obviously wasnt accurate  drove all over the area. Came back into town  they had a water puddle in one intersection with over a foot of water in it from the rain. Found Hotel Mexico, underground parking, internet and hot water - $350p  golden

Great day today. Stopped raining so that was a huge plus. Had some great riding right out of Zitacuaro  spectacular riding and scenery.

Finished up with a gravel road down to the bottom of this canyon  beautiful (and cool).

Much more civilized up the other side

A bit of a landslide you just kinda go around

It was cold (down to 8C  46F) coming over a mountain pass and I was getting cold so stopped at a roadside restaurant  pretty big place and most of the people were congregated at some tables in the kitchen area  suited me fine as it was warmer there.

Waiter first plops a plate of a few corn chips, some fries, some lettuce and tomatoes and some pickeled cactus. Then the hyper waiter asked what I wanted and named off the three choices in rapid fire  kind of sounded like a machine gun. I asked him to slow down and repeat  he did, about 5% less rapid fire. Still didnt recognize anything they were offering  kind of understood one of the words he said and repeated that back to him . . . done! Have no idea what I ordered.

While later he drops a big plate down in front of me and I finally figureout I ordered a fish. One tortilla laying on the top so, I start messing around with it and discover the fish is pretty fleshy. Start picking the meat off, drop it in the tortilla, discover some outstanding sliced and fried garlic, add some of their incredibly outstanding salsa and some vegies. Just as I was about to finish one tortilla, a fresh one would appear on my plate. It reminded me of fresh trout fried over a campfire. It was really good and hit the spot. With a cup of coffee was $60p.

After the gravel road up and down in the canyon, finally get to Taxco having heard good things about the town but not knowing what to expect. With the rain, the internet pooped out last night before I had a chance to check on some recommended joints in Taxco so, I was flying blind (hmm, maybe that should have been the name of this Ride Report).

I come in from the top (as with many interior towns, this one is built on the side of a mountain) and see some of the town below  there seems to be little clusters of buildings scattered all over the place. Try to have the GPS take me to a couple of hotels hoping to pass others along the way. Finally notice a Best Western and figure that has to be near the center of town so lets head there and see what we can find.

Well, find the "main"cluster of buildings and this town needs to take some lessons from Guanajuato and maybe build some tunnels. Narrow streets clogged to the nutz (yes, that is a word . . .I just made it official)  main road backed up for about a kilometer. Finally got through then up a steep cobble stone street, turn left and a wall of cars coming at me. Glance at the wall and the arrow going the other way. Turn around notice a Transit Cop and ask how to get to the BW  he tells me to go up the road I had tried  apparently its 2 way. Who knew? I guess he radios ahead to another Transit cop and tells her to expect me. Head up this amazingly narrow street with 2 way traffic and people all vying for position on a road that barely handles two Volkswagen bugs. Get to the next intersection and the Transito rushes over to give me directions to the hotel  she had even notified the hotel I was coming. In all honesty, I really didn't want to stay at the BW but at this point I wasnt about to go looking around  looked like a decent place and I was ready to stop. Overpriced but nice.

Came out to move my bike and these two tall young guys are standing there and one says GDay  we are travelling too  well, damn, someone who speaks English well, not really English but I have an Aussie son-in-law so I understand Aussie most of the time. Mark and Mark.

Had a good dinner with the boys and met the third of the group, Matt. They are traveling on KLRs and have a really good blog here

Hey Rex
Passed through those tunnels about a month ago. You describe them as "slick" as in neat, and that they are. They are also damded slick as in slippery if there is any water down there. Really enjoying your report. You are going the extra mile with an effective history lesson and good pics. Aren't we glad to not be in the Okanagan about now??? Ride Safely.

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Right that Red. Mexicans like to use cobble stones, paving stones, concrete, etc which are great durable products. However with the traffic wearing these roads smooth, a little bit of water makes them like ice. I've had 3 or 4 good sphincter clenching moments on these roads. Doesn't help with that frickin Heidenau on the back. A great tire and durable but lousy in wet conditions. Just trying to push it as far south as possible before I put that TKC80 on that I've lugging around since Phoenix.

Thanks for the kind words. Some of the weather I've encountered in the mountains has been chilly enough to remind me of home . . . for a bit. Other than missing my wife and family, not longing for the Okanagan right now.

Agreed to meet one of the Marks to walk up to the top of the mountain the main part of the town is built on and on which is a huge St Christopher statue. Started out up this road with a remnant of Dia de los Muertos festivities hanging from the arch.

We basically followed the track of a recent downhill mountain bike event through the streets and alleys of the town. Insane! Stairs are long, in some cases narrow, steep and with weird corners in them. At the top, we followed the dirt track up an almost vertical climb. I was feeling the altitude and exertion before we got close to the top. A patient young Aussie waiting for Wheezing Geezer.

Beautiful view of the city from up there.

There seemed to be a propensity for throwing really loud firecrackers in town. While at the top we noticed what seemed to be something launched and exploding in the air in a couple of places at the edges of town. Looked like the bombs bursting in air thing. Whatever they are, they are loud. Seem to have some connection with the church bells ringing. You can see the puffs of smoke over towards the mine.

Followed the bike track down. In addition to the stairs, there are some insanely narrow streets here and a number of ramps were built in various places. Mark doing his best mountain biker impression of a corner they had to do after this little set of stairs

Went through the Zocolo (town square)

Just a random shot of a guy with his burro hauling something through town

Leaving Taxco on my way to Oaxaca. Beautiful ride  first 150 km or so was slow with great twisted roads. Had everything today from a bit of gravel to some Cuota  I mistakenly got on the cuota at the end and quickly figured that if I stayed on, would keep me from having to drive through Oaxaca in the dark.

Certainly much easier entering Oaxaca from the North  zip right around the town on some ring roads  slick. Except right at the end, just where I had to turn right, they switched lanes for a few blocks  huh? So, here we are on a major artery, driving on the left for a bit. Im sure there is a reason for that except I was supposed to turn right at that point. Grrrr! The sport of driving in Mexico.

Here is one of the many colorful buildings in Oaxaca

If you want to see a lot of pics of Oaxaca go to this point of my Mexico by Geezer thread.

Wandered down towards the Zocolo  was hungry and looking for food. Saw Casa Mayordomo . . . figured they make great chocolate, why not. Ordered the Tlyuda platter  was enough food there to feed an army. Three kinds of meat.

Stopped and had a cup of hot chocolate (Chocolate con leche) one afternoon. If you ever get a chance to have hot chocolate with Oaxacan chocolate, do yourself a favor and do.

Most restaraunts give you chips and salsa while waiting for your meal. A lot of places here give peanuts with peppers and garlic . . . nothing more need be said.

Finally decided to get rid of one of the tires I've been carrying around with me. Found a great place in the back of the hotel parking lot.

They even had a workbench set up for me

Of course, I am an idiot and pinched the tube so took it to this guy to vulcanize a hot patch on - much better than the cold patch I could do

They use these cool brooms to sweep the Zocolo

While these shoeshine guys are all over the place

Looks like the Engineers are getting ready for a party with the Corona girls standing in front of one of the big Cathedrals :huh